LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Leader of the House what average time her Office took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Barbara Keeley: The average time taken by the Office of the Leader of the House to answer ordinary written parliamentary questions between January 2009 and December 2009 was 3.2 days. 100 per cent. of the ordinary written questions during this period were answered within the working week target. All named day questions were answered on time.
	With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the 3rd report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

SCOTLAND

Roads: Snow and Ice

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the cross-border provision of winter road salt supplies; and on what dates.

Ann McKechin: The Department for Transport, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government have been regularly monitoring salt supplies and stock levels across Great Britain with the help of their agencies, local authorities and the companies which supply salt. The Government and the devolved Administrations decided that due to the exceptional weather they should work in partnership to advise salt suppliers on priorities for deliveries across Great Britain.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Children: Poverty

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were living in poverty in Salford in each year since 1993; and what the percentage change in this figure was from each year to the next.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of poverty for children are published in the households below average income (HBAI) series. These figures only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information is not available for Salford.
	The number of children living in poverty (in households with less than 60 per cent. of contemporary household income, before housing costs) in the north-west Government office region can be found in the following table. These data are based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	Please note that because regional figures are presented as three-year averages, a percentage change between each year is not available. Data are not available prior to 1994.
	
		
			   Number of children in poverty (million) 
			 1993/94 to 1995/96 n/a 
			 1994/95 to 1996/97 0.5 
			 1995/96 to 1997/98 0.5 
			 1996/97 to 1998/99 0.5 
			 1997/98 to 1999/2000 0.5 
			 1998/99 to 2000/01 0.5 
			 1999/2000 to 2001/02 0.4 
			 2000/01 to 2002/03 0.4 
			 2001/02 to 2003/04 0.4 
			 2002/03 to 2004/05 0.4 
			 2003/04 to 2005/06 0.4 
			 2004/05 to 2006/07 0.4 
			 2005/06 to 2007/08 0.4 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	A local child poverty indicator has been developed to try and replicate this national measure as closely as possible. It captures the number and proportion of children in families in receipt of out-of-work benefits, or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent. of median income. Details can be found at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm

Children: Protection

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what measures are in place to ensure that assessments of risk to children undertaken by local authorities assess all close family members.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government's statutory guidance "Working Together to Safeguard Children" (2006) sets out the processes to be followed when undertaking an assessment of a child who is suspected to be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. That assessment will include consideration of the capacity of the parents or caregivers to respond appropriately to the identified needs of the child. This may involve interviews with the child's parents or caregivers and with those known to the child, for example members of the wider family. It may also include interviews with professionals or other people who know the child's parents or caregivers.

Children's Centres: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated in respect of children's centres in Eltham constituency since their introduction.

Dawn Primarolo: Greenwich local authority is responsible for Sure Start Children's Centres across its area and will decide how much funding to allocate to centres in Eltham constituency.
	The first Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) were set up in 1999-2000. The SSLPs received a single capital allocation for the period 1999-2000 to 2005-06. Greenwich local authority was allocated £3,913,042.
	Data on the SSLP revenue allocations prior to the introduction of the Sure Start IT system in 2003-04 are not readily available at a local authority level. Greenwich's SSLP revenue allocations from 2003-04 are shown in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1. Sure Start Local Programme revenue allocations for Greenwich local authority 
			   £ 
			   SSLP revenue allocation 
			 2003-04 3,029,775 
			 2004-05 3,550,810 
			 2005-06 3,738,775 
			 2006-07 3,541,783 
			 2007-08 3,008,185 
			 2008-09 3,034,536 
			 2009-10 2,680,923 
		
	
	Funding for Sure Start Children's Centres was made available from 2003-04. The Children's Centres allocations for Greenwich are shown in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2. Sure Start Children's Centres allocations for Greenwich local authority 
			  £ 
			   Capital  Revenue  Total 
			 2003-04 0 52,500 52,500 
			 2004-06(1) 3,496,687 1,318,028 4,814,715 
			 2006-07 (2)1,431,584 2,797,260 4,228,844 
			 2007-08 (2)2,889,676 2,876,399 5,766,075 
			 2008-09 378,553 4,898,580 5,277,133 
			 2009-10 781,204 6,175,905 6,957,109 
			 (1) Local authorities received a two year allocation for 2004-06. (2) The 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations are for the wider Sure Start Early Years and Childcare Main Capital Block. 
		
	
	From 2006-07 Children's Centres Capital formed part of the wider Main Capital Funding Block. Funding in this block is not ring fenced and the authority has the freedom to decide how much of their total capital allocation to spend on children's centres, in line with local priorities. This allocation was not broken down further in 2006-07 and 2007-08. The Main Capital allocation has been quoted for 2006-07 and 2007-08 in table 1.
	The Main Capital Block included funding for child care sustainability and extended schools as well as for Children's Centres in 2006-07 and 2007-08. From 2008-09 the block comprised funding for Children's Centres, early years provision, child care and integrated projects (those which support more than one policy objective). Funding in the Main Capital Block is not ring fenced and local authorities have the freedom to decide how much to spend on children's centres in line with local priorities.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Cornwall

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the total cost was of bonuses paid through the education maintenance allowance for submitting course work on time in  (a) North Cornwall constituency and  (b) Cornwall in the latest period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoff Russell, the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for North Cornwall with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries. Since 2008, the conditions for all EMA payments have included behaviour and effort as well as attendance. We have never stipulated that bonuses are only payable where a student has submitted all coursework on time. The decision to award a bonus payment is made by the learning provider and the reasons behind individual decisions are not held centrally.

Extra-curricular Activities: South West

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was allocated for the provision of extra-curricular activities in schools in  (a) the South West and  (b) Torbay constituency in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are committed to every school providing access to a core offer of extended services, including a varied menu of extra-curricular activities from 8 am to 6 pm, by 2010. My Department has provided significant funding to support the delivery of extended services, including over £1 billion in the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. The table sets out the extended services funding allocated from 2003-04, the start of the Full Service Extended School pilot, to 2010-11 for local authorities in the Government Office South West region, and Torbay.
	This funding is passed to local authorities to support the development of the core extended services offer in every school. The exact amount of funding spent on extra-curricular activities, as part of supporting delivery of the broader extended services core offer, is a matter for local decision making by local authorities and schools.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Extended schools revenue  South West  Torbay 
			 2002-03 200,000 0 
			 2003-04 155,000 0 
			 2004-05 1,334,972 168,480 
			 2005-06 9,212,998 331,276 
			 2006-07 10,456,178 432,034 
			 2007-08 10,947,207 334,364 
			 2008-09 23,525,667 739,491 
			 2009-10 33,991,312 998,051 
			 2010-11 40,620,347 1,213,385 
			  Note: Funding in 2003-04 to 2005-06 was for the Full Service Extended Schools Pilot.

Families

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding he plans to allocate to the new support activities for families referred to in Chapter six of his Department's Green Paper, Support for All.

Dawn Primarolo: The funding for the new support activities for families as outlined in Chapter 6 in Support for All: the Families and Relationships Green Paper has been allocated from current budgets. These include:
	£122 million on Family Intervention Projects between 2006-07 - 2010-11;
	£60 million on the Family Information Direct (formerly ParentKnowHow) programme which provides information and advice for families (including grandparents and family and friends carers) between 2008-09 - 2010-11; and
	£1.135 billion in revenue funding and £101 million in capital funding for Sure Start Children's Centres and Local Programmes in 2010-11.

Family Fund

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding was provided through the Family Fund in each of the last five years; what assessment he has made of the level of take-up of such funding by low-income families with one or more severely disabled children; and when he last met the Chief Executive of the Family Fund.

Diana Johnson: The Family Fund Trust (FFT) (England) provides grants to families with severely disabled children or young people under 18. Families are eligible to apply for grants if they have an annual income of less than £23,000 before tax. Over the last five years the FFT has received the following in grant funding from the Department:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2005/06 22.8 
			 2006/07 22.8 
			 2007/08 22.8 
			 2008/09 24.4 
			 2009/10 25.0 
		
	
	As a result of commitments in The Children's Plan, the FFT was allocated an additional £8.4 million, payable over the current CSR period; with this additional funding the FFT changed the eligibility criteria for receipt of grants to include families with disabled children/young people under 18. Prior to that grants were made to families with disabled children under 16. The additional funding has been reflected in the table above.
	Since extending eligibility criteria, the FFT have awarded grants to an additional 2,586 16-year-olds in 2008-09. Their target for 2009-10 is to issue between 4,750 and 5,000 grants to 16 and 17-year-olds.
	The total numbers of families helped by FFT over the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Family fund trust-England 
			   Number of families helped 
			 2005/06 35,740 
			 2006/07 38,857 
			 2007/08 37,007 
			 2008/09 38,889 
			 2009/10 Not available 
		
	
	The FFT is required to provide the Department with annual accounts and details of its activities during the year, which is reviewed by officials. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families last meet with the chief executive of the Family Fund Trust on 16 April 2008.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to reply to the letter dated 24 November 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Father Tom Connod.

Diana Johnson: The Department of Children, Schools and Families try to respond to all correspondence within 15 working days. We regret the delay in this matter. The Department has identified the letter in question and has sent a response on 20 January.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit: Public Appointments

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish the curriculum vitae of the head of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit.

Dawn Primarolo: Jacky Tiotto, the Head of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit is a qualified social worker by profession. She has held a number of senior positions in London local authorities, and as a practitioner specialised in work with vulnerable children and those in need of protection, working in residential, field and hospital services. Most recently she was the Director for Children and Learners at the Government Office for London, having previously worked for the Department for Children, Schools and Families where she had been seconded as a deputy director leading on performance and improvement and then as a professional adviser to Lord Laming on his progress report on safeguarding children in England. Earlier posts include senior national adviser for children and adult services at the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), and performance specialist at the Audit Commission. Her CV contains personal information and its disclosure would be likely to contravene the Data Protection Act.

Non-Formal Learning

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what recent assessment his Department has made of the merits of non-formal learning; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to establish a system of formal accreditation for the non-formal learning undertaken by children outside school.

Diana Johnson: The Department believes that every young person should experience non-formal learning as an essential part of learning and personal development, whatever their age, ability or circumstances. In 2008, through the Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC) manifesto, the Department funded 'Every Experience Matters'-an evidence-based review on the role of learning outside the classroom for children's whole development from birth to 18 years.
	The report demonstrates the important role that LOtC could have in raising young people's engagement by drawing on research from around the globe and providing evidence that children achieve higher academically, have greater levels of physical fitness, increased confidence and self-esteem, show leadership qualities, and have greater engagement and motivation in learning. The report is available at
	www.lotc.org.uk
	Where a child is educated at home on a full time basis the level of formality will vary according to the wishes of the parent and the needs of the child. Some parents will adopt a more child led approach to learning while others will prefer a more formal approach or something that takes in elements of a range of different approaches. In each case the education provided must be suitable to the age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs that the child may have. It will not always be possible to distinguish between formal learning and non-formal learning in this context.
	There are no plans to establish a formal system to accredit non-formal learning undertaken by children outside of school.

Social Services: Haringey

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates his Department received drafts of Ofsted reports into Haringey children's services in November and December 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: Ofsted published the report of a joint area review of services for children and young people in Haringey, undertaken with the Healthcare Commission and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, on 1 December 2008. The Department received a final draft of the report for information on 30 November 2008. Ofsted published a letter, informing Haringey local authority of its annual performance assessment of services for children and young people, on 17 December 2008. The Department saw no draft of the letter.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Stationery

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has spent on stationery in each of the last five years.

Si�n Simon: The Department's expenditure on stationery for financial years 2004-05 to 2008-09 is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 130,300 
			 2005-06 147,130 
			 2006-07 110,560 
			 2007-08 69,210 
			 2008-09 68,380

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for the Olympics when she expects the London Secure Communications Network to be fully implemented.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Home Secretary gave on 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1550W.
	The implementation of the Olympic enhancements for the UK-wide Airwave radio system continues to progress according to schedule and will be ready for the 2012 Games.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Housing Benefit

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what targets her Department has set for local authorities on the  (a) administration and  (b) collection of housing benefit.

Helen Goodman: The Department for Work and Pensions does not set targets on housing benefit administration and collection. The Department encourages and supports local authorities to set their own targets to achieve and maintain an effective housing benefit service for customers and taxpayers.

Mesothelioma

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of asbestos-related mesothelioma have been recorded in London in the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 January 2010
	The total number of mesothelioma deaths where the last residence of the deceased was recorded as being within the Government Office for London region(1) between 1998 and 2007 (the latest year for which data are available) was 1761 (source: HSE, British Mesothelioma Register). The great majority of these will be due to asbestos exposure but there is evidence to suggest a small number of cases have some other unidentified cause.
	(1) The Government Office for London region includes both inner and outer London boroughs.

Mesothelioma: Death Certificates

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many death certificates mentioning mesothelioma as  (a) primary cause of death and  (b) secondary cause of death have been issued in each of the last 10 years.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 28 January 2010
	The number of mesothelioma deaths each year from 2001 to 2007 (the latest year for which data are available) where mesothelioma was recorded as  (a) the underlying cause of death and  (b) an associated cause of death, are shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain recorded as such in the underlying or associated causes of deaths, 2001-2007 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1)  2007( 1) 
			 Underlying cause 1,758 1,763 1,801 1,866 1,919 1,942 2,035 
			 Associated cause 99 96 66 94 120 102 107 
			 (1) Provisional  Source:  Health and Safety Executive British Mesothelioma Register 
		
	
	It is not possible to separately identify from readily available data the number of mesothelioma deaths before 2001 in each category since mesothelioma was not included within the framework used for classifying causes of death before then. A small number of deaths occur each year where mesothelioma is mentioned on the death certificate but not recorded as either the underlying or associated cause of death.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  which guided busways are in service in each local authority area; on what date each commenced operations; and what the length of each is;
	(2)  what guided busways have been approved for construction; when each is projected to open; and what the projected length of each is;
	(3)  what assessments his Department has made of the safety of operation of guided busways; and who has carried out the assessments undertaken for his Department.

Sadiq Khan: There are currently five guided bus systems in operation in England. Details on when these started operations and the length are in the following table:
	
		
			  Name of scheme  Local authority  Date scheme opened  Length of guided bus section 
			 Leeds Superbus Leeds city council 1995 1.5 km of segregated bus guideway 
			 Ipswich Suffolk county council 1995 200 metre section 
			 Leeds Elite Leeds city council 2001 2 km of segregated bus guideway 
			 Bradford A641 Manchester Road Quality Bus Initiative Bradford metropolitan district council 2002 2.3 km of guided busway. 
			 Crawley Fastway West Sussex county council 2003 2.2 km of guided busway 
		
	
	The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, which includes 25 kilometres of guided busway, was given funding approval by the Department in 2006 and construction is now under way with the scheme expected to be completed and open for operation in 2010.
	No assessments to date have been undertaken by the Department with regards to the safety of operation of guided busways. Guided busways are exempt from the requirements of the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety Regulations) 2006 and it is, therefore, the responsibility of the promoter of the scheme to satisfy itself that safety systems are appropriate both prior to the system commencing and once in operation.

Cycling: Helmets

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the safety case for children to wear cycle helmets.

Paul Clark: The Department commissioned a research project on cyclists' road safety, which included a new review of cycle helmet effectiveness.
	The review concludes that, assuming cycle helmets are a good fit and worn correctly they should be effective at reducing the risk of head injury, in particular cranium fracture, scalp injury and intracranial (brain) injury for users of all ages but would be expected to be particularly effective for children.
	The full review of the evidence was published on 15 December 2009 and can be found online at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/ppr446.pdf

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has nine layers of management reporting from Permanent Secretary down to Executive Officer. The table below shows how many officials are employed in each such layer and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year.
	
		
			  Management layer/grade  Staff numbers  Staff costs (£) 
			 EO 2,863 96,038,345 
			 HEO 1,502 58,733,248 
			 SEO 896 41,798,306 
			 Grade 7 705 47,115,864 
			 Grade 6 221 18,845,216 
			 Deputy Director 156 15,872,659 
			 Director 34 4,900,166 
			 Director General(1) 7 1,374,696 
			 (1) Permanent Secretary also included in this figure

Motorways: Road Traffic

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what modelling the Government has done on the use of hard shoulder running; and if he will place a copy in the Library of the outcomes of such modelling.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has modelled the use of hard shoulder running in its National Transport Model (NTM). The outcomes of this analysis were presented in The Advanced Motorway Signalling and Traffic Management Feasibility Study which, together with its technical annex, were published in March 2008.
	These two documents are available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/network/policy/mtorsigntrafmanagement/
	The key modelling impacts presented in this analysis were also published as part of Road Transport Forecasts 2008: Results from the Department for Transport's National Transport Model, which is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/economics/ntm/roadtransportforcasts08/
	The Department announced the inclusion of a number of new hard shoulder running schemes in its major schemes programme on 15 January 2009 in Britain's Transport Infrastructure Motorways and Major Trunk Roads.
	This report, which also contains details of the modelling outcomes, is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/network/policy/motorways/
	Copies of these reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Official Cars: Diesel Vehicles

Colin Challen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what percentage of the Government Car and Dispatch Agency's diesel-powered vehicles are fitted with diesel particulate filters.

Paul Clark: The Government Car and Despatch Agency operates 107 diesel powered vehicles of which 62 are cars and 45 are commercial vans. Of these, 25 cars and two vans are fitted with diesel particulate filters, representing 25.23 per cent. of the combined diesel fleets.

Railways: Fares

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what he estimates the cost to the public purse will be in 2010 of removal from train operating companies of the individual ticket price flexibility hitherto available to them in producing their overall retail price index +1 increase in regulated fares.

Chris Mole: Commercial negotiations are taking place with individual train operators to agree the level of compensation, if any, due as a result of this change to their franchise agreements. Any release of information concerning the assessment of the financial impact would be prejudicial to these negotiations.

Railways: Kent

Howard Stoate: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what financial penalties apply in respect of each franchised train operating company serving Kent when scheduled trains  (a) are cancelled and  (b) arrive late.

Chris Mole: Financial penalties are not applied on a per-train basis under the franchise agreement with Southeastern which operates passenger rail services in Kent.
	However, penalties can be applied under the franchise agreement if Southeastern exceeds a threshold for overall delay or cancellations. These penalties are outlined in the Department's enforcement policy which provides for a range of actions that may be applied in the event of a contravention of a franchise agreement. These can include requiring an operator to put in place remedial plans, making performance-based payments, and ultimately an operator's franchise can be terminated.
	The enforcement policy can be found on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/

Rapid Transit Systems: Accidents

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which body has responsibility for  (a) investigating accidents causing (i) injuries and (ii) fatalities on guided busways and  (b) making recommendations for action in consequence.

Sadiq Khan: It is the responsibility of the operator of a guided busway to satisfy itself that safety systems are appropriate.
	The police would take the lead in any investigation of an accident involving guided buses in the same way as any other road traffic incident.
	The police may refer cases or liaise with the Vehicle Operator Services Agency and the Health and Safety Executive where evidence indicates that serious health and safety management failures have significantly contributed to an incident and these cannot be addressed by road traffic legislation.

Roads: Lighting

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has contributed to funding for the renewal of street lighting in each year since 1997; what guidance his Department issues on criteria for the renewal of street lighting; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport provides capital funding to local authorities for maintenance of their highways, which they can use for the renewal of their street lighting assets. The level of local transport plan funding to local authorities in England (excluding London) for highway maintenance for each year since its introduction since 2001, and its predecessor the Transport Supplementary Grant, is given as follows.
	In addition this Department has provided PFI credits for local authority street lighting projects. 24 projects are operational with a further five in procurement. The table below lists the awards to local authorities in the year they reached financial close, including awards to London authorities.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   PFI allocation  TSG/LTP capital 
			 1997-98 0 79,237 
			 1998-99 7.5 69,447 
			 1999-2000 0 211,864 
			 2000-01 0 264,396 
			 2001-02 18.6 528,004 
			 2002-03 0 544,999 
			 2003-04 166.747 545,640 
			 2004-05 121 633,778 
			 2005-06 96.765 634,409 
			 2006-07 149.9 674,164 
			 2007-08 94.911 677,035 
			 2008-09 0 701,061 
			 2009-10 332.8 735,097

Roads: Snow and Ice

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what criteria were used to determine the distribution of salt during the recent severe weather conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Recommendations to salt producers by the Salt Cell on prioritisation of deliveries take into account highways authorities' existing stocks; recommended reductions in gritting rates; planned deliveries from suppliers and mutual aid between authorities; and forecast weather, three to four days ahead.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many snow ploughs provided by his Department were in operation in Milton Keynes in December 2009 and January 2010.

Sadiq Khan: The Highways Agency had four salt spreading vehicles equipped with plough-blades that were in operation through Milton Keynes in December 2009 and January 2010. Two of these vehicles operated on the A5 and the other two vehicles on the M1.
	Winter service provision on local authority roads is a matter for Milton Keynes Council. The Department for Transport does not provide snow ploughs or other equipment.

Roads: Snow and Ice

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent discussions he has had with local authorities in England on the sharing of road salt supplies so as to ensure that the areas worst affected have access to salt.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government have been regularly monitoring salt supplies and stock levels across Great Britain with the help of their agencies, local authorities and the companies which supply salt. The monitoring involved the Department and Government regional offices having regular discussions with local authorities.
	The Government and the devolved Administrations with the support of the Local Government Associations for England, Wales, Transport Scotland and Transport for London decided that due to the exceptional weather they should work in partnership to advise salt suppliers on priorities for deliveries across Great Britain.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental Pay

Lee Scott: To ask the Solicitor-General how much has been paid in bonuses to civil servants in the Law Officers' Departments in each year since 2003.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 28 January 2010,  Official Report, column 1014W.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had on the EU's military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The EU peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina was discussed at the EU Foreign Affairs Councils in November and December 2009, and in January 2010. In January, the Council agreed conclusions deciding to start providing non-executive capacity-building and training support within the framework of the operation, noting that the executive mandate will continue in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1895 (2009), and expressing the EU's readiness to maintain an executive military role beyond 2010, should the situation require it, under a UN mandate. The Government welcome these conclusions.

Departmental Consultants

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much consultants employed by his Department and its agencies have been paid  (a) in total and  (b) in reimbursable expenses in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Bryant: Responsibility for procuring external consultants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is devolved to individual FCO directorates, departments and overseas posts.
	Annual expenditure on consultants is published each year in our annual departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library of the House and on our website. Actual consultancy expenditure in 2008-09 was £29.9 million rather then the estimated figure of £63.6 million noted in the 2008-09 departmental report. This included estimated costs of managed service delivery and other professional services, which are not classed as 'Consultancy' spend by the Office of Government Commerce.
	These published figures include the costs of reimbursable expenses. To separate these out retrospectively would incur disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Oil

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the quantity of oil exported from Iraq in each of the last 10 years.

Ivan Lewis: According to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), average crude oil export figures for Iraq from 1999 to 2008 are as follows:
	
		
			   Average rate of export (millions of barrels per day) 
			 1999 2.13 
			 2000 2.04 
			 2001 1.71 
			 2002 1.49 
			 2003 0.39 
			 2004 1.45 
			 2005 1.47 
			 2006 1.47 
			 2007 1.64 
			 2008 1.86 
		
	
	Figures for 2009 are not currently available from the OPEC website. However, data available from the Government of Iraq's Ministry of Oil website indicate that average oil export rates in 2009 were 1.9 million barrels of oil per day, available at
	http://www.oil.gov.iq/EXPORT%20CAPACITIES.php

Overseas Residence: Crime

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Spanish authorities seek payment from the Government in respect of the costs of imprisonment in Spain of British citizens awaiting trial.

Chris Bryant: No. The cost of detaining prisoners awaiting trial is the responsibility of the state in which the prisoner is detained.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces: Bomb Disposal

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department has purchased ADE-651 bomb detectors from ATSC;
	(2)  whether the ADE-651 bomb detector has been used to screen vehicles at any of his Department's establishments  (a) in the UK and  (b) overseas.

Quentin Davies: No ADE-651 bomb detectors have been purchased by the Ministry of Defence, and as such the ADE-651 has not been used where UK personnel control access to establishments either in the UK or overseas.

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many families have been evicted from service family accommodation in each of the last 12 months.

Kevan Jones: Service Family Accommodation (SFA) is provided to accommodate entitled Service personnel and their families. When occupants cease to be entitled to SFA and do not vacate, the Department is required to take steps to recover possession of the property. In the first instance Defence Estates (DE) will write to the occupant advising that they are required to vacate the property within 93 days. DE will be as flexible as possible and will extend this so as to accommodate children's schooling and holidays or to allow occupants the maximum possible time to secure alternative accommodation arrangements.
	The number of eviction orders applied for against occupants of SFA in 2009 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Month  Number of eviction orders 
			 January 5 
			 February 16 
			 March 6 
			 April 1 
			 May 4 
			 June 8 
			 July 2 
			 August 6 
			 September 14 
			 October 4 
			 November 3 
			 December 19

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses owned by his Department were rated as grade  (a) 1,  (b) 2,  (c) 3 and  (d) 4 in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The majority of the 70,000 Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties worldwide are leased rather than owned by the Department. SFA is graded for charge and by Standard for Condition (SfC), a detailed measure of the physical condition of a property.
	For the latest number of UK properties at each SfC (as at December 2009) I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 794W to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr Fox).
	The following number of UK SFA properties were at each SfC in each of the last five years:
	
		
			   S1fC  S2fC  S3fC  S4fC 
			 2004 25,276 22,215 3,083 146 
			 2005 26,426 20,774 2,792 195 
			 2006 28,796 18,950 2,309 159 
			 2007 29,691 17,910 2,165 145 
			 2008 28,354 17,414 2,098 109 
		
	
	Like for like figures are not available for overseas SFA. However, as at October 2009 overseas properties were at the following SfC:
	
		
			  SfC  Number of SFA Properties 
			 S1fC 4,390 
			 S2fC 3,930 
			 S3fC 4,152 
			 S4fC 2,848 
			 Not yet assessed 99

Armed Forces: Housing

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2010,  Official Report, column 203W, on armed forces: housing, how many requests for repair call outs were made in respect of family housing.

Kevan Jones: I will write to the hon. Member.

AWE Aldermaston

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he has had with representatives of the Atomic Weapons Establishment on the development of new facilities at Aldermaston in the last 12 months.

Quentin Davies: The Secretary of State for Defence visited the Atomic Weapons Establishment on 23 September 2009. I visited on 27 February and 9 November 2009. As part of these visits briefing was provided on a range of subjects, including developments on the ongoing capital facilities programme. Ministry of Defence officials maintain a constant dialogue with AWE plc and other stakeholders on these matters, providing advice to Ministers as appropriate.

AWE Aldermaston

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on Atomic Weapons Establishment facilities at Aldermaston in each of the last five years.

Quentin Davies: The capital facilities expenditure figures for the two Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Capital costs at outturn prices (£ million) 
			 2005-06 172 
			 2006-07 312 
			 2007-08 409 
			 2008-09 395 
			 2009-10(1) 420 
			 (1 )Provisional.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence and its agencies make suitable information available for free re-use under the Public Sector Information Click-Use Licence. The Department's Trading Funds are able, under their trading fund status, to charge for the services they provide in order to cover their costs, with both the Meteorological Office and UK Hydrographic Office licensing information for commercial re-use. Also, the museums for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force are registered charities classified as executive non-departmental public bodies and levy a charge for requests of photographic images, video material and copies of historical documents to commercial companies and individuals at commercial rates. Charitable or other not-for-profit organisations are either not charged or charged at cost.

Departmental ICT

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has allocated for the  (a) procurement,  (b) maintenance,  (c) compliance testing and  (d) security of information technology systems in 2010-11.

Quentin Davies: Available resources for Defence expenditure are set during spending rounds. The most recent comprehensive spending review set the Department's budget for the financial years 2008-11.
	Departmental expenditure plans for 2010-11 and beyond have not yet been agreed.

Departmental ICT

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on information technology in the last three financial years; how much of this was spent on  (a) software development and testing and  (b) application including (i) staff training, (ii) the cost of new hardware and software and (iii) the cost of launching into the live environment.

Quentin Davies: The Department spent the following on information technology and telecommunications in the last three financial years:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 2006-07 1,350 
			 2007-08 1,509 
			 2008-09 1,727 
			  Notes:  1. The MOD's Resource Account Codes do not split the costs between information technology and telecommunications.  2. These costs include telecommunication costs, for example line rental.  3. These figures relate to capital addition and operating cost charges. 
		
	
	The detailed breakdown requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	Further information can be found in the Department's Annual Report at the following link:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/AnnualReports

Departmental Public Expenditure

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department expects to spend on research and development, excluding expenditure from the science, innovation and technology budgets, in  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Quentin Davies: Research and development spending in the MOD is spread across a number of key areas within the department. As such, no centralised R and D budget exists. In financial year 2007-08, the total MOD R and D spend, excluding science innovation technology, was some £1.6 billion. We anticipate that this will remain at a comparable level over the next few years, although departmental expenditure limits have not yet been set for the years beyond 2010-11.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on research and development, excluding expenditure from the science, innovation and technology budget, in the financial year 2008-09.

Quentin Davies: R and D figures for 2008-09 are part of a National Statistic and the release of these figures is embargoed until their publication in late March. The most recent figures that are available 2007-08, indicate some £1.6 billion was spent by MOD on R and D, excluding the science innovation technology spend.
	Figures for 2007-08 and earlier are available in the annual MOD Defence Statistics publication, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Haiti: Earthquakes

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent by his Department in providing logistical support to the emergency services in Haiti following the recent earthquake.

Bob Ainsworth: Spending by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in support of Operation Panlake, the assistance provided by MOD to Haiti on behalf of the Department for International Development (DFID), will be recovered from DFID. At present, it is not possible to say how much MOD has/will spend in support of Operation Panlake. The work is still being scoped and costings are incomplete.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a final decision has been made on the procurement of the Boeing RC-135 to replace the Nimrod R.1.

Quentin Davies: A decision is expected shortly regarding the replacement of the Nimrod R1.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with BAE Systems on the procurement of a successor to the Nimrod R1; and when he last met representatives of BAE Systems to discuss such procurement.

Quentin Davies: I met with local MPs, BAE Systems Union representatives and BAE System officials on 15 December 2009 to discuss the replacement of the Nimrod R1 and to listen to their concerns regarding the closure of BAE Systems Woodford.

Navy: Deployment

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which ships of the Royal Navy are deployed on operations at sea; and where each is deployed.

Bill Rammell: As at 28 January 2010 the following Royal Navy ships are deployed on operations:
	 Middle East
	HMS Monmouth
	HMS Atherstone
	HMS Chiddingfold
	HMS Grimsby
	HMS Pembroke
	HMS Lancaster
	RFA Cardigan Bay
	RFA Lyme Bay
	RFA Bayleaf
	 Horn of Africa
	HMS Chatham
	 Mediterranean
	HMS Sabre
	HMS Scimitar
	HMS Enterprise
	 South Atlantic
	HMS York
	HMS Clyde
	RFA Gold Rover
	HMS Scott
	 Home Waters
	HMS Mersey
	HMS Severn
	HMS Tyne
	HMS Gleaner
	Royal Navy ships deployed on Exercises:
	 Norway
	HMS Bulwark
	RFA Mounts Bay
	 Mediterranean
	HMS Manchester
	In addition two Frigates, two Mine Counter Measures Vessels and one RFA ship are at notice for contingent operations in home waters and RFA Largs Bay is preparing to sail on Op Panlake off Haiti.

Radioactive Materials: Imports

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 17-18W, on radioactive materials: imports, what the provisions are of the strict materials accountancy regime to which reference was made in the answer; which organisation carries out the accountancy checks; and to whom that organisation reports.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) materials accountancy regime reflects requirements in the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999, including its associated Code of Practice, and International Atomic Energy Agency standards. These require the maintenance of accounts for radioactive material holdings and for annual inventory verification.
	Within the MOD, the application of the materials accountancy regime is the responsibility of the Strategic Weapons Project Team (SWPT), part of the Defence Equipment and Support area. Individual site operators are responsible for accurate accountancy and reporting of accountable material by quantity and location; their arrangements are required to include a robust internal audit process and physical checks of holdings.
	The responsibility for ensuring the conduct of audits of site operator arrangements, in respect of MOD-owned accountable material, lies with the head of SWPT, who is accountable to me in this capacity. Such an audit would include further physical inventory checking to verify the operator's on-site inventory.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to answer question  (a) 310011,  (b) 310012 and  (c) 310013 on Milngavie reservoir, tabled on 6 January 2010.

Kevan Jones: I replied to the hon. Member on 26 January 2010,  Official Report, column 797W.

JUSTICE

Crime

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of  (a) domestic burglary and  (b) drug offences in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 2006.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of persons found guilty at all courts in the north-east Government office region (GOR) and England and Wales for domestic burglary and drugs offences in 2006 and 2007 (latest available) can be found in the following table.
	Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level. Data are given in the table for the north-east GOR in which the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside are located.
	Data for 2008 were published on 28 January 2010 but were not available at time of preparing the response. The hon. Member may wish to request 2008 data in a further question.
	
		
			  The number of persons found guilty at all courts in the north-east Government office region (GOR) and England and Wales, for domestic burglary and drugs offences, 2006 and 2007( 1,2) 
			   North East GOR  England and Wales 
			   2006  2007  2006  2007 
			 Burglary in a dwelling 767 827 12,442 13,138 
			 Misuse of drugs 2,734 2,667 39,580 44,564 
			 (1) Includes: Cleveland police force area; Durham police force area; Northumbria police force area. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice answered 2,923 ordinary written questions and 790 named day questions from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009. On average it has taken 6.14 sitting days to answer ordinary written questions and 2.22 sitting days to answer named day questions in Parliament.

Fines: Surcharges

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much he expects to be raised from the victims surcharge in each of the next five years.

Jack Straw: The victims surcharge is a £15 charge imposed on fines given in the magistrates and Crown courts in England and Wales on all offences committed on or after 1 April 2007.
	As receipts are dependent on the number of fines imposed and the enforcement rates achieved it is difficult to forecast future revenue from the surcharge with exactness. It is estimated that, as currently implemented, around £8 million will be raised from the surcharge, on fines, in 2009-10 and each year thereafter.

Offenders: Foreigners

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals were charged with a criminal offence in each year since 2005.

Claire Ward: Statistical information recorded centrally on the Court Proceedings database held by the Ministry of Justice does not include a defendant's nationality. This information would be recorded should the defendant be sentenced to custody.

Prisons: Employment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours on average were worked by prisoners in prisons in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much remuneration on average prisoners received per week for such work in that period.

Maria Eagle: During the period April to December 2009 prisoners in England and Wales spent on average 11.82 hours a week in employment activities. Figures for the average remuneration received by prisoners over the same period are not available. However, a snapshot survey carried out in April/May 2007 showed an average rate of £9.60 a week.

Prosecutions: Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been prosecuted for non-payment of council tax in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: Proceedings at magistrates courts for offences of non-payment of council tax cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court proceedings database as they form part of a miscellaneous group which cannot be separately analysed.

Snow and Ice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the costs to his Department arising from the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: No overall assessment has been made of the financial impact of the severe weather conditions in the period 4 January to 18 January 2010 on the Ministry of Justice and its executive agencies (the National Offender Management Service, Her Majesty's Courts Service, the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian).
	Regular communications were issued to staff across the organisation via intranet and email ahead of, and during, the period of severe weather advising on the actions to be taken. Advice was as follows:
	Managers were instructed to have their business continuity plans and key contacts readily available for activation.
	Staff were advised not to take undue risks to travel to work if it was not safe.
	Staff who were unable to attend their normal place of work must inform their manager that they are delayed or will not attend for duty. Where possible in these circumstances, staff were expected to work from home or, subject to management authorisation and organisation, attend another Ministry of Justice office or location.
	Following the adoption of these principles, the impact on departmental business is considered to be relatively low. There were a number of closures of courts and tribunals at various stages and some courts, offices and prisons had to cope with fewer staff for short periods. In general, business continuity plans were activated without incurring additional expenditure, with work being prioritised and postponed. It would incur disproportionate cost to contact every local office, prison, court, probation board or trust and tribunal to obtain a financial impact assessment and to analyse and collate this information.

Streatham

Keith Hill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Streatham constituency, the effects on Streatham constituency of changes to his Department's policies since 1997.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice's work spans criminal, civil and family justice, democracy, rights and the constitution. Every year around nine million people use our services in 900 locations across the United Kingdom, including 650 courts and tribunals and 139 prisons in England and Wales.
	The range of the Department's policies and actions is wide and the statistical information relating to it is not normally collected on a constituency basis. Consequently, some of the information requested in the question cannot be provided in the form requested except at a disproportionate cost.
	Although data on sentencing for the period are not available for the constituency of Streatham, it is available for London. These shows an increase in the total number of offenders sentenced annually from 202,478 in 1997 to 226,891 in 2007, the latest period for which such information is available.
	Likewise, the number of offences brought to justice for the London area increased from 122,500 in 2001-02 (the earliest period since which such data have has been compiled) to 230,000 in 2007-08.
	With regard to prosecutions, data are not available for the constituency of Streatham. However, the total number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts by the Metropolitan police increased from 260,328 in 1997 to 265,709 in 2007.
	Although data on reoffending are not available for the constituency of Streatham, it is available for the borough of Lambeth The latest data, which cover reoffending in the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, showed that the three month reoffending rate for offenders on the probation caseload in Lambeth was 8.05 per cent. After controlling for changes in the characteristics of offenders on the probation caseload, there was a reduction in reoffending of 6.88 per cent compared to the 2007-08 baseline. Data are not available prior to 2007 on this basis.
	The number of persons commencing supervision by the Probation Service in London was 16,019 in 1997 and 22,233 in 2008.
	158,440 civil non-family proceedings were started in the county courts of London Civil and Family HM Courts Service (HMCS) area in 2008, compared to 263,305 in 1998, the first year for which these figures are available. In respect of family law, there were also 15,512 private law applications and 870 public law applications made in the county or High Courts of this HMCS area in 2008-09, compared to 11,684 and 1,095 respectively in 2003-04, the first annual period for which these figures are available.
	In addition, at a national level:
	local communities are being better engaged in criminal justice by giving them a say in the types of Community Payback projects offenders carry out and allowing them to see justice being done, for example through the use of high visibility jackets. Offenders have now worked more than 14 million hours, with an estimated value to the taxpayer of over £80 million.
	Major constitutional reforms have been delivered, including devolution, the Human Rights Act, Freedom of Information, Lords Reform, and a new Supreme Court for the UK.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer Question 300893, on departmental pay, tabled on 18 November 2009.

Jack Straw: I replied to the hon. Member on 25 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 692-94W. I apologise for the delay.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Horses: Animal Welfare

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he next plans to raise in the Council of Ministers the subject of long distance transportation of horses to slaughter;
	(2)  if he will seek to secure agreement at EU level on a journey limit of between nine and 12 hours for the long distance transportation of horses to slaughter.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The review of Council Regulation 1/2005 on the welfare of animals during transport, which was brought forward from the deadline of 2011, was postponed by the European Commission in October last year because of a lack of internal agreement on the draft proposals. We expect to see fresh proposals within the next year. The Secretary of State's call for improved enforcement and finite times for journeys to slaughter made at Agriculture Council in September last year still stands.

Photography: Environment Agency

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects on the photography industry of non-remunerated photography contracts issued by the Environment Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Environment Agency has not issued any non-remunerated photography contracts and currently has four contracts in place with professional photographers. Each of these suppliers has gone through the tender process which is evaluated on both cost and quality.
	Any photographer employed by the Environment Agency will be paid in full for their work. The Environment Agency has strict criteria on working with suppliers and takes its responsibilities seriously when it comes to paying people the right rate, on time, and getting good value for the taxpayer.

Rodents: Sewers

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 16 June 2009,  Official Report, column 156W, on rodents, whether his Department has reviewed the revised sewer protocols between Thames Water and Yorkshire Water and their relevant local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: No. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 2 Dec 2009,  Official Report, column 732W.

Sewers: Private Sector

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent assessment is of progress in the transfer of private drains to water companies in 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: On 15 December 2008, the Government announced that the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains linked to the public sewerage system to water company ownership would take place from 2011. Transfer is the only comprehensive solution to the range of problems presented by private sewers.
	I anticipate consulting early this year on the content of regulations to effect transfer, prior to them being presented to Parliament for approval.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister what average time he took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: My office aims to answer all ordinary written parliamentary questions within five working days, and named day written parliamentary questions on the day named.
	This information is a matter of public record and can be found in the  Official Report.

President of the European Council

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what matters were  (a) discussed and  (b) agreed upon in his meeting on 19 January with the President of the Council of the European Union.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the press notice issued by my office on 19 January 2010. A copy is available on the Number 10 website:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page22179
	 Tuesday 19 January 2010
	 President of the European Council and PM discuss strategy for growth
	The Prime Minister has said that members of the EU must raise the level of ambition for Europe's future growth and employment.
	The UK Government has published a compact designed to reinvigorate EU economies and build strong, sustainable and balanced growth.
	Gordon Brown welcomed the new President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, to Downing Street this morning to discuss the priorities for Europe including action on the economy, climate change and security.
	They also discussed the situation in Haiti following last week's devastating earthquake. Mr van Rompuy said the EU has responded swiftly to the situation, with EU members already pledging €400 million, including €30 million from the UK. The EU is committed to helping Haiti with longer term reconstruction, Mr van Rompuy said.
	On the economy, Mr Brown said EU countries must agree co-ordinated measures that will build a strong recovery.
	President van Rompuy and I are agreed that at this critical point in Europe's history, we must now more than ever, raise our level of ambition for Europe's future growth and employment.
	The European Union, despite the challenge of Asia and the rest of the world, remains the world's largest trading block.
	We are the biggest export market in the world, we are the largest internal market in the world and we have to forge a new economic strategy for our future following the economic crisis.
	Gordon Brown said measures to improve growth and job prospects include investment in the low-carbon economy, open markets, the completion of the single market, and more flexible labour markets.
	Mr van Rompuy said he has called an informal meeting of the European Council in February to look at formulating a new economic strategy for the region.

WMD Intelligence Review Committee

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister which recommendations made by the report of the committee investigating the use of intelligence on Iraq chaired by Lord Butler accepted by the Government have been implemented; and when each other recommendation accepted by the Government will be implemented.

Gordon Brown: The Government accepted and implemented all of Lord Butler's recommendations, following his review in 2004. We continue to look to improve the quality of analysis of intelligence across Government.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Anti-Semitism

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects his Department to publish figures on occurrences of anti-Semitic incidents.

Alan Johnson: The Home Office intends to publish figures on occurrences of anti-Semitic incidents in April 2010.

Assaults on Police

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been assaulted in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: Data for the numbers of assaults on police officers in 2004-05 and years previous to this can be found in the HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Annual Reports, available in the Library of the House. A weblink to the 2004-05 report is provided for the member's convenience:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc0506/hc08/0842/0842.pdf
	Data for the numbers of assaults on police officers for 2005-06 onwards can be found in the supplementary tables of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Police Service Strength, England and Wales, available in the Library of the House. A weblink for the 2008-09 data is again provided for the member's convenience:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1309supp.pdf
	Earlier data from HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary reports and later data from Home Office supplementary tables are not comparable with each other as HMIC data were taken from Crime Recording Systems and Home Office data were taken from self-reported HR systems.
	In the 10-year period, the number of police officers has increased by 14 per cent. (from 123,841 in 1998-99 to 141,647 in 2008-09). The number of assaults relates to only a very small proportion of these police officers-in 2008-09 there were an average of 0.07 assaults per officer.

Asylum: Costs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated amount was of  (a) support costs,  (b) administration costs,  (c) housing costs,  (d) legal costs,  (e) deportation costs and  (f) other costs of the asylum system in each year since 1997.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 10 December 2009
	It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the full costs of the specific breakdown of costs for each of the years requested except at disproportionate cost as the information was not recorded in the required format.

Borders: Personal Records

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the  (a) original planned and  (b) current estimated budget is of the e-Borders Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 14 December 2009
	 The original planned expenditure for e-Borders from award of the contract to Trusted Borders in November 2007 through to November 2017 was £1.2 billion.
	The current forecast of expenditure for this period, including contingency, is £1.2 billion.

Crime: Computers

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps an individual who has been subject to  (a) a phishing attack,  (b) installation of malware or adware and  (c) other interference with their computer activities should take to report the incident for criminal investigation; how many such incidents were reported in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: Any individual who believes that they have been the subject of such attacks or interference on their computer should report the matter to the police, who can then investigate the complaint.
	The offences mentioned would in most cases appear to be covered by the Computer Misuse Act 1990. However, the Home Office does not collect statistics centrally on reports of these offences, and therefore I am unable to provide the hon. Member with the figures requested.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in 2010.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 25 January 2010
	The Secretary of State welcomes the 10:10 campaign and has signed up in a personal capacity. Staff have also been encouraged to take part. The Department and its agencies plan to sign up to the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in 2010-11 against a 2009-10 baseline.
	The Department and its agencies have had targets to reduce emissions since 1999 stretching to 2020 and carbon budgets which set out the Department's carbon emission reduction requirements to 2050. Performance against carbon emissions is published annually, the most recent data for the Home Office showed a 23.8 per cent. reduction against baseline.

Driving Offences: Fines

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue was raised through fines consequent on  (a) parking,  (b) speeding and  (c) other driving offences in each year since 2005.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Information reported to the Home Office on fixed penalty notices for motoring offences as well as data on court fines held by the Ministry of Justice does not include information on revenues as not all fines imposed will have been paid.

Members: Correspondence

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Edinburgh West of 15 July, 17 September and 14 October 2009 on his constituent Mr. Neil McAlpine and the visa for Analia Hasson.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 7 December 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 20 January 2010.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 5 October 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton on Miss Prisla Joy Kalva.

Alan Johnson: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 4 December 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 10 November 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr Ali Hosseni.

Alan Johnson: A full substantive response was sent to the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton on 16 December in reply to his letter of 10 November 2009 about Mr Ali Hosseni.

Offenders: Deportation

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners have been removed from the UK since 1 January 2009.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 14 December 2009
	 We have published provisional management information which shows that we deported or removed a total of 3,890 foreign national prisoners between 1 January and 30 September 2009. This figure is taken from the Control of Immigration: Quarterly statistical Summary for Q3 2009, which can be accessed at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Passports

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consideration he has given to allowing British citizens resident in  (a) the European Union and  (b) Switzerland to submit passport renewal applications to be processed by post.

Alan Johnson: The Identity and Passport Service does not accept postal applications made from overseas, including those made from other European Union countries and Switzerland, and no consideration has been given to accepting applications by post from overseas.
	If British citizens resident in any of these countries want to renew their passport, they would need to contact their local British embassy or consulate. Alternatively, they could return to the United Kingdom and apply in person to the Identity and Passport Service.

Terrorism

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been questioned and been  (a) cautioned and  (b) subsequently prosecuted in relation to terrorism offences in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years.  [Official Report, 23 February 2010, Vol. 506, c. 5MC.]

David Hanson: The Home Office does not hold statistics on the number of individuals questioned in relation to terrorism offences. In the last five years the police have issued the following number of cautions for terrorism offences:
	
		
			   Number of cautions issued 
			 2004-05 4 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 2 
			 2008-09 4 
		
	
	The Home Office collates statistics on the number of terrorism arrests, charges and convictions and these are included in a Bulletin which was published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The data contained in the Bulletin relates to Great Britain and not specific areas. The first edition of the Bulletin is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf
	The number of cautions as detailed above are contained in the second issue of the Bulletin which was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf

Terrorism

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested under anti-terrorism legislation have subsequently been extradited in each of the five years.

David Hanson: The Home Office does not hold statistics which are recorded in this way. However, the Home Office does collate statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and convictions and these are included in a Bulletin published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the Bulletin is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf
	The second issue of the Bulletin was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf

Terrorism

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted of offences under anti-terrorism legislation have been released on  (a) automatic unconditional release.  (b) automatic conditional release and  (c) discretionary conditional release in each of the last 12 months.

David Hanson: For prisoners to be released unconditionally, they must have served a sentence of less than 12 months. For prisoners to be automatically released with conditions, they must have served a sentence of 12 months or more.
	To be released on a discretionary conditional basis, prisoners will have served a sentence of four years or more for offences committed prior to 4 April 2005 or be subject to an extended sentence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 imposed prior to 14 July 2008. Discretionary release is on the recommendation of the Parole Board.
	Data on releases of prisoners having served sentences under anti-terrorism legislation or terrorism related offences for 2007-08 and 2008-09 were published in the Home Office statistical bulletins on terrorism arrests and outcomes. This data, however, do not show a monthly figure for releases. Both bulletins may be found at the following address:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/terrorism.html

Terrorism

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people convicted of offences under anti-terrorism legislation are serving custodial sentences.

David Hanson: At 31 March 2009, there were 143 terrorist/extremist prisoners in Great Britain. The Home Office collates statistics on the number of terrorism arrests and convictions and these are included in a Bulletin which was published for the first time on 13 May 2009 (Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain 11 September 2001 to 31 March 2008). The first edition of the Bulletin is available at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf
	The figure quoted above is contained in the second issue of the Bulletin which was published on 26 November 2009 and is available via the link below:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf

Visas and Exclusion Orders: Ireland

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK's list of persons who  (a) have been refused a visa for admission into the UK and  (b) are to be denied travel to the UK is automatically shared with the border agency authorities of the Irish Republic as part of the Common Travel Area regime; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 11 January 2010
	The UK Border Agency holds a watchlist of adverse information drawn from a variety of sources, including the police, SOCA and other Government Departments. The system is used by UK Border Agency staff for the purposes of national security and the detection and prevention of crime. Refusal of entry may be based on information from any of these sources.
	The UK and Ireland undertake a range of data sharing activity to underpin the security of the Common Travel Area, backed up by extensive operational co-operation. This includes sharing data from the UK immigration watchlist. We have a longstanding policy not to disclose exactly what information is shared.
	Data sharing with the Irish Government remains a key area for increased co-operation, as recognised in the Strengthening The Common Travel Area public consultation and subsequent response.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Banks: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate the monetary value of bond issues across all sectors requiring refinancing in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have been asked to reply.
	No such estimate is available. The Government continue to take targeted measures ensure that the supply of credit meets recovering demand from creditworthy businesses.

Business: Staffordshire

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much capital has been supplied to small businesses in Staffordshire through the Government's Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The relevant data are not available at the level of individual counties. However, consistent with the latest HMRC National Statistics published for investment raised through the Enterprise Investment Scheme in the Government office regions, the total amount raised and invested in small businesses in the West Midlands through the Enterprise Investment Scheme since it was introduced in 1994 is around £300 million.

Students: Grants

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the average delay in processing of student grant applications for academic year 2009-10; how many students have yet to receive their grant; how many students have withdrawn from their course as a result of not receiving their grant; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: holding answer 25 January 2010
	I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement to the House on 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 12WS. The report and statement can be found at the following URL:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/hopkin
	I am advised that the Student Loans Company holds data only on average processing times for applications where the applicant has supplied all supporting information and evidence. For the application cycle academic year 2009/10 to date, average processing times for fully documented means-tested applications have been within SLC's published service standards of 30 days for paper applications and 20 days for online applications.
	Data on numbers of applications processed, paid and still to be paid are available on the SLC website at:
	http://www.slc.co.uk/statistics/facts%20and%20%20figures/index.html
	The Department has not made an estimate of numbers of students who have withdrawn from a course in 2009/10 academic year due to delays in receiving student finance.
	Many students whose means tested applications could not be processed before the start of term, for example because of incomplete evidence, were given provisional non means-tested maintenance awards and confirmation that their tuition fees would be paid.
	Students whose application for student support was not approved by the start of term would have been able to apply for help through the Access to Learning Fund, which is provided by the Government and administered by higher education institutions, and can provide assistance to students in financial hardship.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Publications

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's list of  (a) deployable civilian experts and  (b) members of the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre deployed in each country of the world.

Douglas Alexander: The 1,000-strong UK Civilian Stabilisation Group includes a number of different skills and experience to help rebuild countries. The specific experts and civil servants in the Group are deployed in accordance with the particular requirements of a country's need.
	There are currently 23 Deployable Civilian Experts in Afghanistan, two in the Democratic Republic of Congo and one in Kenya. There are two members of the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre currently deployed in Afghanistan. At least two more members will be deployed to Afghanistan in the coming weeks, while others have recently returned.
	In accordance with the Data Protection Act, it would not be appropriate to publish a list of individuals' names.

Departmental Publications

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library a copy of the job description of each of his Department's officials involved in managing the Stabilisation Unit's database of deployable civilian experts and the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre.

Michael Foster: The requested information will be placed in the House Library.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2010,  Official Report, column 414W, on people trafficking, to what overseas projects and non-governmental organisations tackling human trafficking, forced labour and child labour his department provides support.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing the following support to overseas projects and non-governmental organisations tackling human trafficking, forced labour and child labour:
	$5.8 million to the International Labour Organisation's (ILO's) project on Building a Global Alliance against Forced Labour and Human Trafficking. DFID support has enabled ILO to produce authoritative data on forced and migrant labour, provide training and guidance to labour administration officials and other law enforcement officers, and run projects tackling forced labour and trafficking in many of countries.
	£1.4 million to Anti-Slavery International's Slavery and Child Labour: Governance and Social Responsibility project, which seeks to combat the worst forms of child labour in six countries.
	£388,000 to the Salvation Army's Malawi Anti-Child Trafficking Project which aims to improve knowledge of and access to rights for children in Malawi who have been trafficked or are vulnerable to being trafficked.
	£1.6 million to the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) to improve the incomes, working conditions and respect for the rights of millions of poor workers who are employed by suppliers of ETI member companies. All member companies agree to adopt the 'Base Code of Labour Practice' which prohibits forced labour and child labour.
	In Bangladesh DFID has also supported the establishment of a specialised police unit for combating human trafficking.

Stabilisation Unit

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff of his Department's Stabilisation Unit are employed to manage that Unit's database of  (a) deployable civilian experts and  (b) the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre.

Douglas Alexander: Three Stabilisation Unit staff are currently employed to manage the Civilian Stabilisation Group, which consists of over 800 Deployable Civilian Experts and over 200 members of the Civil Service Stabilisation Cadre. A small number of additional staff are responsible for administrative tasks associated with the recruitment, training and deployment of members of the Group.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Internet

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will ensure that the Comprehensive Area Assessment Oneplace website includes data on the frequency of collection of household waste by local authorities.

Barbara Follett: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred:
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
	The Oneplace website currently includes performance indicators on the amount of waste collected, recycled and landfilled as well as a range of measures of residents' satisfaction with these services.
	The Audit Commission is discussing with DEFRA the availability of reliable data on the frequency of household waste and recycling collection with a view to including this data on the website as soon as possible.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department and its predecessors since 1997.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not available. The Department evaluates the impact of major programmes and policies. We do not assess the specific impacts on individual areas.
	Details of research projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and its predecessors are available from our Research Database (RD) at
	http://www.rmd.communities.gov.uk/
	The database provides information on projects commissioned by Communities and Local Government and predecessor departments going back to 30 November 2001. This includes details of evaluations.

Council Tax

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority has received in fines relating to late payment of council tax in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: This information is not collected centrally.

Departmental Disclosure of Information

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether  (a) agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies for which his Department is responsible sell information on a commercial basis to (i) companies or individuals in the private sector and (ii) other organisations.

Barbara Follett: Government Departments and agencies make most of their information available for free re-use under the Public Sector Information (PSI) Click-Use Licence. CLG's executive NDPBs make relevant information freely available by publishing it on their websites. CLG's trading funds; the Ordnance Survey, the Fire Service College and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre can charge for the services they provide in order to cover their costs. This includes information supplied to other public bodies, commercial organisations and individuals. In common with other Government policy, some information is sold as priced publications.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available.

Barbara Follett: In the Department for Communities and Local Government uniform layers of management do not exist across the organisation. Instead, different arrangements are made by each area to meet its business needs. At present employees in pay range 3 and above can be responsible for line management.
	The following table shows total employment costs for pay ranges 3 and above for 2008-09 although it should be noted that not all these employees will have line management responsibilities. Total employment costs include salaries, non-consolidated performance awards, employer's national insurance payments, overtime and employer's pension costs. The provision of total pay costs excluding non-line managers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Pay range  Number of staff (headcount)  Total annual employment costs 2008-09 (£) 
			 3 (EO) 333 10,596,359 
			 4 (HEO) 533 19,559,166 
			 5 (SEO) 326 12,010,745 
			 6 (Grade 7) 497 24,829,182 
			 7 (Grade 6) 127 7,709,854 
			 Deputy Director 84 8,355,458 
			 Director 22 3,173,623 
			 Director General 6 1,383,829 
			 Permanent Secretary 1 266,471

Departmental NDPBs

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how many non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible.

Barbara Follett: 22 in total as at January 2010. The Department sponsors 12 executive NDPBs, five advisory NDPBs and two tribunal NDPBs, as well as two other public bodies classified as Public Corporations and a public body which does not have a formal classification. The bodies are listed as follows.
	 Executive NDPBs
	Community Development Foundation
	Firebuy
	Homes and Communities Agency
	Independent Housing Ombudsman Limited
	Infrastructure Planning Commission
	Leasehold Advisory Service
	London Thames Gateway Development Corporation
	Standards for England
	Tenant Services Authority
	Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation
	Valuation Tribunal Service
	West Northants Development Corporation
	 Advisory NDPBs
	Advisory Panel for the Local Innovation Awards
	Advisory Panel on Standards for the Planning Inspectorate
	Building Regulations Advisory Committee
	National Community Forum
	National Housing and Planning Advice Unit
	 Tribunal NDPBs
	Rent Assessment Panels under the Residential Property Tribunal Service
	Valuation Tribunal for England
	 Public Corporations
	Architects Registration Board
	Audit Commission
	 Other
	Local Government Ombudsman/Commission for Local Administration

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2010,  Official Report, columns 769-70W, on Departmental written questions, what mechanisms are in place for monitoring his Department's performance in answering parliamentary questions for written answer; and what targets he has set for the time taken to answer such questions.

Barbara Follett: The Department's performance in answering parliamentary questions is monitored by its Management Board.
	In CLG, Ministers endeavour to provide hon. Members with a substantive response to their named day question on the date specified, and to answer ordinary written questions within a working week of being tabled. In 2009, CLG Ministers received:
	862 questions for answer on a named day of which 708 (82 per cent.) received a substantive answer on the due date; and
	4,853 ordinary written questions of which 4,112 (85 per cent.) were answered within a working week.

Doncaster Council

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects the Audit Commission to publish the findings of its corporate governance inspection of Doncaster Council.

Rosie Winterton: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct. As the Audit Commission has already made clear, the inspection will take place as soon as the necessary arrangements can be made and we are keen to see the findings as soon as possible. However, it is important that the inspection is robust as the findings will inform any further package of support offered to the council. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has confirmed that we are prepared to use the powers he has to tackle any issues identified by the Audit Commission which require government action.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 29 January 2010:
	Your Parliamentary Question outlined above has been passed to me to reply.
	The planning for the inspection of Doncaster Council is well advanced and the necessary fieldwork will be completed as soon as possible. The inspection report (including recommendations) will be published as soon as it is complete but at this stage it is not possible to give a firm date.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to his Department's consultation document, Lender repossession of residential property: protection of tenants, when he expects to announce each of the preferred options.

Ian Austin: CLG's consultation on Lender repossession of residential property: protection of tenants, which considered options for closing a gap in legal protection for tenants who suffer short notice eviction as a result of landlord eviction, closed on 14 October 2009. The consultation document stated that the Government's preferred approach was to ensure tenants received adequate notice if they needed to move by giving courts the power to delay possession and introducing a new notice of intention to enforce possession. These measures are now being taken forward by Dr. Brian Iddon in a private Members Bill, The Mortgage Repossessions (Protection of Tenants etc) Bill, which is to receive its second reading on 29 January.

Non-domestic Rates

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments in England he expects to claim small business rate relief in 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 5 January 2009,  Official Report, column 230W.

Non-domestic Rates: Fines

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority has collected in fines relating to late payment of business rates in each of the last 10 years.

Barbara Follett: There are no fines for late payment within the business rates system.

Non-domestic Rates: Garages and Petrol Stations

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many supermarket petrol retail outlets have been notified that their rateable value  (a) has been reduced,  (b) remains unchanged and  (c) has risen by over (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 50 per cent., (iii) 100 per cent. (iv) 150 per cent., (v) 200 per cent., (vi) 250 per cent., (vii) 300 per cent. and (viii) 350 per cent. for the purpose of calculating the business rate to come into effect on 1 April 2010.

Barbara Follett: All supermarkets have been sent summary valuation calculations notifying the occupiers of their new rateable value (RV), and have been invited to contact their local valuation officer if they think the change in their RV may be incorrect.
	The RV for a supermarket petrol retail outlet forms part of the overall rateable value of the supermarket. The SCAT codes do not allow us to separately identify supermarkets with petrol retails outlets from supermarkets without petrol retail outlets. Therefore, information on the distribution of supermarket petrol retail outlets by change in RV is not held centrally.
	The five-yearly business rates revaluations make sure each business pays its fair contribution and no more. The 2010 revaluation will not raise a single extra penny for Government and over a million properties will see their business rate liabilities come down as a result of revaluation.
	As a result of the £2 billion transitional relief scheme we have put in place, no property (including petrol retail outlets) will see its rates rise by more than 11 per cent. in 2010-11 as a result of revaluation, with increases capped at just 3.5 per cent. for small properties.

Shops: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. member for Meriden of 15 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1073-4W, on shops: empty property, what information his Department used to assess  (a) levels of deprivation and  (b) shop vacancy rates.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government is providing £5.6 million to 107 local authorities to support approaches for making use of vacant shops and other ideas for boosting high streets and town centres affected by the recession. We have targeted this funding at councils showing relatively high levels of deprivation as these areas have been hit hardest by the recession.
	The local authorities receiving funding are in the top half of the index of multiple deprivation (IMD) and show relatively high shop vacancy rates based on data provided by the market analysts Experian.

Southend Airport

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons he issued an Article 14 direction with regard to the proposed runway extension at London Southend Airport.

Barbara Follett: The Article 14 Direction was issued to enable the Secretary of State to consider whether to call-in the application for his own determination.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1512W, on travelling people: caravan sites, what figures  (a) his Department and  (b) the Planning Inspectorate holds on the number and proportion of planning appeals that were (i) granted and (ii) dismissed, (A) prior to the year that Circular 01/06 came into force and (B) subsequent to the year that Circular 01/06 came into force.

Ian Austin: It is not possible to search the Planning Inspectorate's database for appeals that solely concern travelling people or caravan sites.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Correspondence

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what targets (a) her Department and  (b) the Government Communication Group have for the time to (i) acknowledge and (ii) provide a substantive reply to external correspondence.

Tessa Jowell: The Cabinet Office target for responding to correspondence with a substantive reply is 15 working days.

Departmental Manpower

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many employees in  (a) her Department and  (b) its agency are in transition prior to being managed out; how long on average the transition window between notification and exit has been in (i) her Department and (ii) its agency in each of the last five years; what estimate she has made of the salary costs of staff in transition in each such year; and what proportion of employees in transition were classed as being so for more than six months in each year.

Angela Smith: On 31 December 2009, Cabinet Office had 17 staff without permanent roles who were being supported to find new permanent roles. The Department introduced a brokerage service in July 2007 to provide tailored support to redeploy staff without permanent roles. Figures on staff without permanent roles are only available since that date.
	Since July 2007, 115 staff without permanent roles have been redeployed. The average time between staff being declared surplus and redeployment to a new permanent role is set out in the following table. The table also gives details of the proportion of employees without a permanent role for longer than six months.
	
		
			   Average time from declared surplus to redeployment (Months)  Proportion of CO employees without a permanent role for six months or more (Percentage) 
			 2007(1) 9 0.65 
			 2008(1) 4 1.38 
			 2009(1) 2 1.21 
			 (1)Information on salary costs of staff without permanent roles is not held. However, there are no additional staff costs to the Department arising from staff without permanent roles, since they are deployed in interim or temporary roles while they are looking for permanent employment, saving the Department the cost of fees on agency and interim staff.

Departmental Meetings

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what  (a) meetings and  (b) other contacts (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in her Department have had with (A) Niall Fitzgerald, (B) Keith Craig, (C) Sir Rod Eddington, (D) Sir Kieran Prendergast, (E) Robert Webb QC and (F) Mark Getty since 1 January 2009.

Angela Smith: Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of organisations and individuals. To provide the information requested could be met only at disproportionate cost.

Government Communications: Political Parties

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the Permanent Secretary for Government Communications has issued advice to political parties on the use of the  (a) Real Help Now and  (b) Building Britain's Future brands.

Tessa Jowell: The Permanent Secretary for Government Communications has not issued advice to political parties on these subjects.

Hakluyt

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 5 November 2009,  Official Report, columns 1228W, on Hakluyt, what contacts Ministers in her Department have had with Hakluyt and Co. since 1 January 2009.

Angela Smith: No Ministers in my Department have met with Hakluyt and Co. since 1 January 20009.

Power of Information Taskforce

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which recommendations in the Power of Information Taskforce Report have been  (a) rejected,  (b) fully implemented and  (c) partly implemented.

Tessa Jowell: The Government Response to the Power of Information Taskforce report accepted, at least in principle, all of the recommendations. Action on Recommendations 4, 9, 13, 16, 18, 19, 17, 20 and 22 is complete. Other recommendations are in the process of being implemented.

Third Sector: Cheques

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the likely effect on third sector organisations of proposals to phase out the cheque clearing system.

Angela Smith: I am very concerned about the withdrawal of cheques, planned for October 2018, and the potential impact on the sector. We are in discussion with the Payments Council, which is planning to meet with charities to consult over their plans.

TREASURY

Banks: Iceland

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations  (a) he and  (b) his officials have received from the Icelandic government since 5 January 2010 regarding the renegotiation of terms to repay debt to the Government for the compensation of depositors who held accounts with Icesave.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Chorley

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out, with statistical information as closely related to Chorley constituency as possible, the effect on that constituency of the policies of his Department since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk./
	The Government have put in place a broad programme of reform since 1997. Over the decade to 2007, the economic performance of all parts of the UK has improved considerably.
	The global recession has had a negative impact on economic activity in all areas of the UK. However, the economy was starting from a position of strength and is actively supported by policies implemented by the Government, including the fiscal stimulus and a significant package of support for those out of work. In Chorley people are benefiting from this investment. Over the second half of 2009, more than 500 people moved off of the claimant count each month on average. The claimant count fell over the last three quarters and now stands 14 per cent. below its April level. At the end of 2009, long-term youth unemployment and long-term unemployment are both nearly 90 per cent. lower than in May 1997.

Civil Service: Location

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the suitability of the West Midlands as an area to which civil service posts could be relocated.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 16 December 2009
	The Lyons review of 2004 suggested that a Government relocation programme could generate savings over a 15 year period and demonstrated the positive impact that well planned relocations can have on local economies.
	Pre-Budget report 2009 announced that nearly 21,000 posts had been moved out of London and the South East by June 2009. Of these, 2,069 have been relocated to the West Midlands.
	Smarter Government, published in December 2009, went further and announced that Ian Smith would lead a review to look at the efficiencies that moving further posts might bring, outlining how at least 10 per cent. of all civil service posts currently based in London and the South East can be relocated in the medium term.
	The terms of reference I have agreed for this review are to produce recommendations on:
	Generating savings through relocating further civil service posts out of London and the South East, where there is no operational reason for being there, together with specific proposals to ensure relocation directly contributes to regional and local economic regeneration;
	Delivering a step change in the transparency of Government relocations, involving both the development of a transparent long-term pipeline, and launch of a new forum to regularly bring together local areas and OGC to structure relocation propositions that deliver better value for money;
	The mechanisms that could be developed to relocate at least 10 per cent. of current posts in the medium term, building on the current Relocation Programme which was created following Sir Michael Lyons' report in 2004;
	What Departments need to do to be able to make the most of opportunities to rationalise their London and South East estate;
	How Government can manage its estate more effectively to reduce barriers to relocating staff, while ensuring that up-front costs are minimised; and
	What mechanisms and incentives can be introduced to ensure that any relocation programme is self-sustaining and on-going.
	The review should also aim to deliver a specific, significant relocation example in time for Budget, demonstrating the seriousness of the Government's intent.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the calendar year 2009, Treasury Ministers answered ordinary written questions substantively in an average of seven working days. 2,163 of the 2,804 questions concerned (77.1 per cent.) were answered within a week of tabling. Treasury Ministers answered named day questions in an average of five working days. 685 of the 884 questions concerned (77.4 per cent.) were answered on the nominated day.
	With effect from the current Session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the third report from the Procedure Committee, Session 2008-09.

Economic Situation: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the recession on the economy in Portsmouth South constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government recognise that the global economic downturn has affected all regions within the UK, including Portsmouth and the wider Hampshire economy. Government Departments and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), as the regional development agency in the region, have taken forward a number of initiatives to provide assistance to families and businesses in these difficult times. The Chancellor will provide an update on the state of the economy at a national level in the 2010 Budget report later this year.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what checks are carried out by HM Revenue and Customs to ensure alcoholic goods have been correctly exported before duty is repaid.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is a condition of reimbursement of UK duty under the drawback provisions that the claimant must be able to demonstrate that the goods to which a drawback claim relates have been exported from the UK and that duty has been paid or secured to the satisfaction of the fiscal authority in the member state of destination.
	HMRC test the veracity of the evidence claimant's use in support of their claims. More detailed information cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue and Customs' controls.

Excise Duties: Beer

Paul Rowen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism is in place to monitor the movement of beer under duty suspension to the EU.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The movement of beer in duty suspension between EU member states is governed by EU Council Directive 92/12/EEC. This states that movements within the EU must take place between approved businesses and must be accompanied by an Administrative Accompanying Document (AAD) at all times. Once the goods have been received at their destination, the consignee must discharge the movement by returning a report of receipt to the consignor.

Government Departments: Hotels

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1353W, on public sector: hospitality, if he will place in the Library a full copy of the summary data on bookings made under the contract Buying Solutions has with Expotel.

Ian Pearson: It is for the relevant public sector body to account for their use of the Expotel contract.

Government Departments: Procurement

Francis Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much and what proportion of Government expenditure on goods and services was directed through framework agreements drawn up with the assistance of the Office of Government Commerce in the last 12 months; and what requirements there are on  (a) Departments,  (b) executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies to procure goods and services through such framework agreements.

Liam Byrne: The Operational Efficiency Programme published at Budget 2009 required Departments, their executive agencies and NDPBs to comply with the requirements of category strategies ratified by the collaborative procurement programme for 80 per cent. of available expenditure. In the year to December 2009, £17.9 billion of Government expenditure complied with such strategies. This included a large element of spend channelled through framework agreements drawn up by professional buying organisations (PBOs), the largest of which is Buying Solutions, an executive agency of OGC. In the same period Buying Solutions reported £5.9 billion of spend through its frameworks.

Local Government: Pay

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Government's policy that public sector posts over £150,000 will require his Department's explicit approval will apply to local government chief executives.

Liam Byrne: The 2009 pre-Budget report announced a set of fundamental reforms to pay-setting for senior staff, including:
	New scrutiny of pay levels above £150,000: the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will approve pay levels in excess of £150,000 for all civil service appointments and appointments to public sector bodies which are subject to Ministerial approval. This will also apply to all bonus payments of over £50,000 where Ministerial sign-off is needed. For public sector bodies where Ministerial approval is not required, the Government expects all organisations making senior managerial appointments in excess of £150,000 to publicly justify this level, and any bonus in excess of £50,000, to the relevant Secretary of State.
	For local government chief executives, the Government expect that any senior appointment in excess of £150,000 will have to be publicly justified to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

Non-domestic Rates: Aerials

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 7 July 2009,  Official Report, column 779W, on non-domestic rates, how many mobile telephone masts in each local authority area are on the 2010 Rating List.

Ian Pearson: Mobile telephone masts are recorded for statistical purposes as in the category of 'communication stations', SCAT Code 066. This category includes other communication masts as well as mobile telephone masts. Data relating to mobile telephone masts only are not held and a further breakdown of these statistics is not therefore possible.

Smuggling: Northern Ireland

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what quantity of illegal  (a) cigarettes,  (b) spirits,  (c) diesel,  (d) petrol and  (e) counterfeit goods was recovered in Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The figures for the last two years are shown in the following table. HMRC record diesel and petrol together, so the oils figure covers both.
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 Cigarettes (million sticks) 4.7 22.1 
			 Spirits (litres) 761 703 
			 Oils (million litres) 0.82 1.09 
			 Counterfeit goods (units) 23,227 1,684 
		
	
	The pressure we maintain to disrupt illicit supply chains means that fraudsters continually respond by changing their modus operandi and supply routes. That leads to fluctuations in the level seizures we make region by region year and on year.
	In relation to the difference between the numbers of counterfeit units seized, the 2007-08 figures include a single exceptional seizure of 21,000 units.

Valuation Office: Freedom of Information

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average time was for the Valuation Office Agency to  (a) respond substantively to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request and  (b) complete an internal review related to such a request in the last 12 months; and whether any (i) requests and (ii) reviews currently being considered have taken longer than six months since they began.

Ian Pearson: The average time the Valuation Office Agency took to respond to a Freedom of Information Act 2000 request was  (a) 15 working days and  (b) 47 days to complete an internal review related to such a request in the latest 12 months that statistics have been published on the Ministry of Justice's website (between 1 June 2008 and 30 May 2009); (i) one of the requests has taken longer than six months to respond to; (ii) none of the Internal Reviews took more than six months.

HEALTH

Abortion

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 October 2009,  Official Report, column 577W, on abortion, how many abortions there were in women aged  (a) under 20,  (b) between 20 and 24,  (c) between 25 and 29,  (d) between 30 and 34 and  (e) 35 years old and above in each of the last 10 years (i) for England and (ii) broken down by primary care trust area of residence.

Gillian Merron: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for people with an alcohol addiction for an appointment with a psychiatric nurse  (a) nationally and  (b) in each region in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: We do not hold this information centrally.

Brain Aneurysms

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the NHS has made of the effectiveness of coiling treatments for brain aneurysms.

Ann Keen: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence made an assessment of the effectiveness of coil embolisation in their Interventional Procedure Guidance 106 Coil Embolisation of Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms published in January 2005. This guidance is available at:
	www.evidence.nhs.uk/search.aspx?t=IPG106

Cancer: Health Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of treating non-UK residents for cancer was in  (a) the latest period for which figures are available and  (b) each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: These data are not collected centrally, as due to the nature of the claims system between the United Kingdom and other countries, it is not possible to disaggregate the data by either type of claim or type of treatment. Further, it is not possible to disaggregate centrally held data on cancer treatment provided by the national health service by visitor type.

Chlamydia: Screening

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets were set by his Department for testing under 25 year-olds for chlamydia under the National Chlamydia Screening Programme  (a) nationally,  (b) in each region and  (c) in each primary care trust within London in each of the last five years; what testing levels were achieved; and how much has been spent on the programme to date.

Gillian Merron: To date there have been four annual indicators set with regards to chlamydia screening/testing. The first related to the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008; the following three indicators were set for each consecutive fiscal year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011.
	In April 2007, we introduced a national health service local delivery plan data monitoring line (LDP PSA11d). The LDP line measured the proportion of the population aged 15 to 24 years screened for chlamydia through the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). The expectation set for the LDP was for 15 per cent. of the 15 to 24-year-old resident population in each primary care trust (PCT) to be screened for chlamydia between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008.
	In 2008-09 chlamydia was included as a tier two vital signs indicator. This measures the proportion of the 15 to 24-year-old total population tested for chlamydia outside of genito-urinary medicine clinics. In 2008-09 the expectation was for 17 per cent. of the target population to be tested for chlamydia, 25 per cent. in 2009-10 and 35 per cent. in 2010- 11.
	Data on the numbers tested in the NCSP, nationally, in each region, in each PCT within London and the testing levels achieved, have been placed in the Library.
	The Department does not break down PCT allocations by individual policy areas, at either the national or local level, or monitor how PCTs spend their allocations. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally taking in to account both priorities and the national health service operating framework. However, a National Audit office report 'Young people's sexual health: the National Chlamydia Screening Programme', published on 12 November 2009, estimated that between 2003 and 2009, £100 million had been spent on delivering the programme.

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 471W, on contraceptives: health education, what the main areas of estimated advertising expenditure were; how much was spent on each; what the overall non-advertising costs of developing the campaign were; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 471W noted that, estimated advertising expenditure for the November/December burst of activity on the 'Contraception. Worth Talking About' campaign is £1,218,000. Estimated advertising costs for a further burst of activity planned for February 2010 are approximately £1,513,000.
	These costs break down as follows
	
		
			  £ 
			  November/December burst  
			 Television 951,000 
			 Radio 150,000 
			 Press 71,000 
			 Online 46,000 
			  February burst  
			 Television 1,220,000 
			 Radio 162,000 
			 Press 89,000 
			 Online 42,000 
		
	
	It is not possible to isolate the overall non-advertising costs of developing the contraception. Worth talking about campaign as these costs cover all strands of the Sexual Health and Teenage Pregnancy campaign.

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons he commissioned the production of polling data on people's attitudes to pornography to inform his Department's campaign on contraception, as referred to in the papers deposited in the Library pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2010,  Official Report, column 472W, on contraception: health education; in what ways these data have been used to inform his Department's campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The development of the 'Sex. Worth Talking' campaign was based on a range of evidence and research. The Department conducted research on current attitudes to sex, relationships and sexual health, to inform the campaign, but the campaign was not informed specifically by research on attitudes to pornography.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average time his Department took to answer questions for  (a) ordinary written answer and  (b) written answer on a named day in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: The average time to answer ordinary written questions in 2009 was 7.93 working days and the average time to answer named day questions was 4.64 working days. Average times include days during parliamentary recesses when questions cannot be answered.
	With effect from the current session of Parliament, each Department will provide the Procedure Committee with sessional statistics on the time taken to answer written questions. This implements recommendation 24 of the third report from the Procedure Committee, session 2008-09.
	 Note:
	Working days are days Monday to Friday, including bank holidays.

Diabetes

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of people had been diagnosed with diabetes  (a) nationally,  (b) in each region and  (c) in each primary care trust in London in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The national Quality and Outcomes Framework records the number of people recorded on certain practice disease registers in England. A register exists for diabetes and counts are available for the financial years from 2004-05 to 2008-09. The figures are available nationally, by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust.
	The number of SHAs changed between 2005-06 and 2006-07. Information for these is given in two separate tables, for the authorities in existence at the time.
	The diabetes register will include patients aged 17 years and over with diabetes mellitus. (As the care of children with diabetes mellitus is generally under the control of specialists, the register excludes those patients age 16 and under).
	All tables providing this information have been placed in the Library.

Drugs: Misuse

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners aged under 18 years are (i) undergoing detoxification programmes and (ii) receiving a maintenance prescription of heroin-substitute drugs.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected by the Department.

Eileen Trust

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which payments made by his Department to the Eileen Trust in the last five years  (a) constituted (i) an ex-gratia payment and (ii) an admittance of liability on the Government's part and  (b) were made for other reasons.

Gillian Merron: All of the Department's payments to the Eileen Trust in the last five years have been to enable the Trust to make ex gratia payments to its beneficiaries. There has been no admission of liability in connection with these payments and no payments have been made to the Trust for other reasons.

Genito-urinary Medicine

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 10 November 2009,  Official Report, column 245W, on contraceptives, whether he has published the sexual health commissioning framework.

Gillian Merron: The Department hopes to publish the new commissioning framework for sexual health in the spring.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reasons a UK military pension paid to a resident of the Isle of Man will not be deemed to be a UK state pension for the purpose of qualifying for free emergency admission to hospital when that person visits the UK after the end of the UK-Isle of Man reciprocal health agreement with effect from 1 April 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will ensure that former members of HM Armed Forces resident in the Isle of Man in receipt of military pensions will continue to have free NHS hospital care when visiting the UK when they are subject of an emergency admission to hospital following the end of the reciprocal UK-Isle of Man Health Agreement on 1 April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The National Health Service Charges to Overseas Visitors Regulations set out a number of exemptions to charging, regardless of where an individual resides.
	Those serving in HM UK forces are exempt from all charges for NHS hospital treatment (including elective treatment). Those in receipt of a war pension or war widows pension are also exempt from all hospital treatment charges (including elective treatment). In addition, those in receipt of a UK state pension are exempt from charges for treatment the need for which arises during a visit to the UK.
	The Regulations do not exempt other ex-service people on the basis of being in receipt of a military pension, but some specific services are exempt from charge to all persons, e.g. those provided in an accident and emergency Department.

Health Services: North East

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the North East strategic health authority on each of the priorities set out by its clinical innovation team in its document, Our strategic vision for transforming healthcare services within the North East of England, of June 2009.

Ann Keen: The strategic vision for transforming health care services within the North East of England was developed locally by the North East strategic health authority as part of the National Health Service Next Stage Review.
	Our Vision, Our Future priorities were developed through unprecedented engagement and reflect the needs and expectations of the local community.
	Delivery is overseen locally. The Department does not performance manage its delivery in line with its commitments to local empowerment, decentralisation and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.

Health Visitors: Devon

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health visitors have been employed in ( a) Torbay constituency and  (b) Devon in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: health visitors at Torbay Care Trust and Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT) as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Devon PCT 144 137 132 131 138 125 116 
			 Torbay Care Trust 29 29 30 29 28 26 26 
			  Notes: 1. East Devon PCT, Exeter PCT, Mid Devon PCT, North Devon PCT, South Hams and West Devon PCT and Teignbridge PCT merged to form Devon PCT in 2006. Figures for 2002 to 2005 are an aggregate of these predecessor PCTs. 2. Torbay PCT became Torbay Care Trust in 2005. Figures for 2002 to 2004 are for Torbay PCT. 3. Torbay PCT was formed in 2002. It is impossible to map staff for this organisation prior to 2002.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Health: Unemployment

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the correlation between trends in the level of unemployment and trends in the level of illnesses attributable to drink or drugs.

Gillian Merron: The following research in relation to alcohol has been either commissioned or evaluated:
	 Commissioned:
	Indications of Public Health in the English Regions-8: Alcohol, was produced and published by the North West Public Health Observatory.
	A review of the affects of alcohol pricing and promotion by the University of Sheffield
	 Evaluated several studies, in particular:
	Health in Finland, by Koskiinen S., Aromaa A., Huttunen J. and Tepen J., Helsinki 2006
	Office for National Statistics longitudinal studies
	The Department has not commissioned research concerning a correlation between levels of employment and illnesses attributable to drugs.

Hospitals: Admissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many procedures planned by each NHS trust were cancelled for non-clinical reasons on or after the day of admission in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The number of operations which are cancelled for non-clinical reasons on or after the day of admission, are published by the Department on a quarterly basis. The latest available figures are for the quarter ending 30 September 2009.
	The data can also be found at the following web address:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/Cancelledoperations/index.htm

Hospitals: Admissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of  (a) in-patient and  (b) day case activities were not undertaken because the patient did not attend in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The total number of admissions and the number of patients who failed to attend, are shown in the following table. These are the latest available figures, for the quarter ending 30 September 2009.
	Data which show the total number of admissions and the number of patients who failed to attend, split by in-patient and day case admissions, are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Q2 2009-10 
			   Number 
			 Admissions 1,128,376 
			 Patients failed to attend 28,146 
			  Note: Admissions includes only ordinary and day case admissions.  Source: Department of Health Quarterly Activity Return, Commissioner based (QARCom)

Hospitals: Greater London

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings  (a) he and  (b) Ministers and officials in his Department have held with NHS staff in London in 2009-10 to discuss (i) reviews of the acute hospital sector in London, (ii) options for closing one or more hospitals in London and (iii) options for closing units or services at London hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The reconfiguration of health services is a matter for the local national health service.
	NHS staff brief Ministers on their local reconfiguration plans in order to support parliamentary business and do so as necessary.
	Ministers also meet routinely with chief executives and chairs of strategic health authorities to discuss plans for service change.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 12 January 2010,  Official Report, column 552, on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, 
	(1)  if he will publish the terms of reference of the internal governance review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority;
	(2)  by  (a) what mechanisms and  (b) whom the decision was made to conduct an internal governance review rather than an independent inquiry; and whether he was consulted on that decision;
	(3)  what progress has been made on the internal governance review; and whether individuals outside that Authority  (a) have contributed and  (b) will contribute to that review;
	(4)  what changes have been implemented by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to prevent a recurrence of the circumstances under consideration in the internal governance review;
	(5)  whether the terms of reference of the internal governance review include the Authority's contact with the BBC in the making of a Panorama programme;
	(6)  for what reasons his Department made the payment of £580,000 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, as referred to its 2008-09 Annual Report.
	(7)  how much funding his Department has provided to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for legal assistance in respect of the circumstances under consideration in the internal governance review.

Gillian Merron: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the terms of reference of its internal governance review are published on the Authority's website www.hfea.gov.uk/5743.html
	The HFEA has also advised that following consideration of advice prepared by the Chief Executive, the Members of the Authority determined it unnecessary for the review to be undertaken by an external person. This was a matter for the HFEA and the Department of Health was not involved. The purpose of the review is to assess the adequacy of the Authority's revised governance arrangements in relation to the threshold between administrative enforcement of its powers and the sphere of criminal law. The HFEA considers this internal review to be the right way to look critically at what happened and to ensure changes made to its processes and procedures provide it with adequate governance arrangements.
	The HFEA has advised that the senior officer undertaking the review has devoted many months to reviewing the documentation held by the Authority. This officer will shortly contact those involved, inviting them to contribute.
	The HFEA has been undergoing an overall programme of change since 2008. This followed the changes to the Authority's membership and its senior management team that began in 2007. The change programme has included the establishment of a new appeals committee, a new compliance and enforcement policy, indicative sanctions guidance and a clear separation of functions between inspection of clinics and licensing. The internal governance review will inform the Authority as to whether further changes are needed.
	The annual allocation of grant-in-aid funding is determined on the basis of the HFEA's annual business plan and its estimate of the funding needed to conduct its business in that year, which may involve some expenditure on legal assistance. The allocation does not identify monies to be spent on individual legal actions.
	Supplementary grant-in-aid of £580,000 was paid to the HFEA in the financial year 2008-09, in respect of unforeseen expenditure incurred as a result of legal actions.
	The total supplementary grant-in-aid paid to HFEA in respect of unforeseen legal costs since 2005-06 is the sum of £580,000 in the year 2008-09, which was incurred as the result of legal actions involving the case associated with the internal review.

Mental Health Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his timetable is for the introduction of proposals for regulation of counselling and psychotherapy.

Ann Keen: We are currently considering the recommendations made by the Health Professions Council on this matter.
	Final decisions have yet to be taken about the legislation to statutorily regulate psychotherapists and counsellors. The regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors is a devolved matter and a decision to take forward regulation on a United Kingdom wide basis would have to be supported by the Administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

NHS: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the primary care trust gross expenditure was in each programme budgeting category  (a) nationally,  (b) in each region and  (c) in each primary care trust in London in each of the last five years.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which medical categories fall within the programme budgeting category entitled 'Other' used to categorise primary care trust programme budgeting expenditure; and on which 10 of these medical categories most has been spent.

Mike O'Brien: Expenditure on general and personal medical services made up 64 per cent. of primary care trust expenditure within the 'other' programme budgeting category in the 2008-09 financial year. This expenditure cannot be broken down into medical categories.
	The remaining 34 per cent. was made up of other miscellaneous expenditure for which a further breakdown of expenditure is not available. Information on the types of activity which contribute to other miscellaneous expenditure has been placed in the Library.

Orthopaedics: Manpower

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many orthopaedic surgeons have been employed by the NHS in  (a) England and  (b) Gloucestershire in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: The orthopaedic surgery speciality falls under the Trauma and Orthopaedic category of the NHS Workforce Census. The following table gives the numbers for this category in the years requested.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS): medical staff within the trauma and orthopaedic specialty, as at 30 September each year 
			  Numbers (headcount) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  England
			 All staff 3,411 3,540 3,611 3,801 4,028 4,346 4,691 4,884 5,163 5,178 5,207 
			  Of which:
			 Consultants 1,067 1,142 1,199 1,267 1,331 1,437 1,530 1,608 1,710 1,760 1,762 
			 
			  Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust( 1)
			 All staff n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			  Of which:
			 Consultants n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 
			  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust( 2)
			 All Staff 40 42 39 40 44 50 53 61 63 61 64 
			  Of which:
			 Consultants 12 12 13 15 15 16 21 23 22 22 24 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Gloucestershire PCT was formed in 2006 from a complete merger of West Gloucestershire PCT, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT and Cotswold and Vale PCT. (2) Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was formed in 2002 from a complete merger of East Gloucestershire NHS Trust and Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust. Figures have been aggregated to allow comparison.  Data quality: Workforce statistics are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data. Processing methods and procedures are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where this happens any impact on figures already published will be assessed but unless this is significant at national level they will not be changed. Where there is impact only at detailed or local level this will be footnoted in relevant analyses.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census